Political Inactivity: The New Trend on College Campuses

It’s the day of the big primary for New York State governor and as I get ready to step outside my dorm room and enter the college campus, I’m expecting to hear the buzz about the election. Instead, I hear the chirping of birds. Silence. People listening to their Ipods and cramming for exams. Where is all the chatter about the primary? I mean I know that in NY State Eliot Spitzer is so far ahead in the polls that he will win in a landslide, but c’mon! I didn’t hear a word all day about the election. Now that is un-American! In a county that prides itself on being able to vote in a free and fair election, the stuff that we students learn on college campuses, and I highly doubt that even 25% of the kids on my college campus even bothered to vote in the primary election and if they have any thoughts at all about voting in the general election.

The problem is that it isn’t just my campus that is politically inactive. It’s a trend sweeping across America and other college campuses. Students are not like the Vietnam War days that parents and old folks like to tell about their protests and sit downs and signs that they would carry around. Now you barely get anyone who even knows that genocide exists in Darfur. Actually, come to think of it, try even asking someone what continent Darfur is even on (Africa) and I’ll be shocked if you get a correct answer.

Part of the problem is that student government associations on college campuses are fearful of riots and demonstrations on campus and this has quelled some political activism. Another part of the problem is the lack of appeal that political groups are having on campus. Democratic and Republican groups just don’t seem to appeal to a broad fan base anymore.